Long before we have the 2020 election, we have more work to do to flip seats this year. We’ve already looked at the 2019 governor elections, so today we’re going to look at the four states that have elections for their state legislatures later this year. Whoever works harder to turn out their voters can win these seats.
Louisiana
In Louisiana, all of the seats in the state Senate and the state House will have elections. The primaries will be held on October 12, and the general election is on November 16. The Governor is currently a Democrat, but the state chambers are Republican-controlled. 2019 is a great year for the Democrats to chip away at their majority.
State Senate: The Republicans have the majority in the Senate (25-14). That said, there are many state legislators who are termed out from running again. The opportunity in 2019 is that while only 4 Democrats are termed out, 12 Republicans are! Not having an incumbent in those seats makes all of those elections more competitive.
State House: The Republicans have the majority in the House (62-37 plus 3 Independents and 3 vacancies.) 13 Democrats are termed out and 17 Republicans are termed out.
Mississippi
In Mississippi, all of the seats in the state Senate and the state House will have elections. The primaries will be held on August 6, and the general election is on November 5. Currently, the governor and state chambers are all Republican led. But, with a well-known and popular Democrat running for the governorship in 2019, it could boost Democratic turnout across the state and help chip away at the Republican majorities.
State Senate: The Republicans have the majority in the Senate (33-19). The list of candidates running can be found HERE. 4 Democratic incumbents and 8 Republican incumbents decided not to run for re-election.
State House: The Republicans have the majority in the House (73-46 plus 1 Independent and 2 vacancies.) 13 Democrats are termed out and 17 Republicans are termed out. The list of candidates running can be found HERE. 5 Democratic incumbents and 7 Republican incumbents decided not to run for re-election.
New Jersey
In New Jersey, all of the seats in the state General Assembly will have elections. (There are no elections for the state Senate). The primaries will be held on June 4, and the general election is on November 5.
State General Assembly: The Democrats have the majority in the Assembly (54-26).
Virginia
In Virginia, all of the seats in the state Senate and the state House will have elections. The primaries will be held on June 11, and the general election is on November 5. Flipping the state chambers so that the Democrats hold the majority in 2019 will be critical to getting fairly drawn district maps once the census is taken in 2020.
State Senate: The Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the Senate (21-19).
State House: The Republicans also have a razor-thin majority in the House (51-49.) In 2017, during the last round of elections for the state House, the Democrats flipped 15 seats–the largest electoral swing towards the Democrats in well over 100 years. Note that for 2019, the House is working under a new district map, after the last one was deemed unconstitutional.
If you want to help Virginia, the folks at Flippable are putting forth a major effort to flip both state chambers. You can read their plan or sign up to volunteer HERE.
How you can help
For those of you who live in or near these states, check out 15 Ways to Help a Campaign Win Their Election.
If you are farther away, you can follow candidates on social media and share information about their campaigns on your accounts, and you can donate to their campaigns. You might consider signing up as a volunteer at their campaign websites as they often have tasks that supporters can do from afar. And finally, keep an eye out for postcarding campaigns to help these elections at sites like Postcards for Voters and Sister District.
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